Entries from October 2018 ↓

(Life and Style)

Angelina Jolie and Justin Theroux are not dating, despite a completely false tabloid report. Gossip Cop can debunk the romance rumors. We’re assured the two aren’t a couple.

According to Life & Style, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s estranged spouses have “quietly gone out a bunch of times since late summer” and “pals think they’re starting to develop feelings for each other.” The magazine contends that Jolie and Theroux met up at a restaurant in New York City in August to discuss a film project, but the two found they have a lot in common on a personal level.

“Since that night, their relationship has only grown in momentum and intensity,” an alleged insider tells the magazine. “Friends wouldn’t be surprised if they’re sending steamy texts and having secret sleepovers.” The supposed source adds, “It’s the best-kept secret, but it’s not like Angie is worried about the romance getting out. The reality is that they’re really into each other.”

The alleged tipster goes on to say that Theroux is “charmed by her passion” for human rights work and filmmaking, while Jolie “caught on to Justin’s quirky sense of humor right away, something Jen was never able to.” The so-called “insider” continues, “I don’t care how much chemistry Angie and Justin have, what they’re doing to Jen is just plain cruel. She’ll be devastated when she finds out. Can you imagine? The woman who wrecked your marriage to Brad is now dating your last ex-husband? Jen will be in tears.”

The supposed source further contends that “Justin doesn’t want to hurt Jen,” but Jolie “cleverly orchestrated” the situation from the beginning. “As far as Angelina is concerned, it’s a complete win-win. Not only has her retribution mission against Jen been accomplished, but she’s found a potential new love in the process.”

This bogus report is a follow-up to an equally untrue Life & Style story from last month. Gossip Cop already busted the tabloid for falsely claiming that Jolie was trying to “seduce” Theroux. That article said the two met up at a restaurant in New York City, but it didn’t mention exactly where or when the dinner took place. Theroux’s rep, who’s qualified to speak on his behalf, told us at the time that the two never got together. A source close to Jolie similarly confirmed the story was made-up.

It’s worth noting, if Jolie and Theroux had actually met up for dinner in New York, it’s virtually impossible they wouldn’t have been spotted together. Paparazzi constantly snap photos of both stars when they’re out and about in public, but they’ve never been photographed together. Even more tellingly, there’s zero indication that Jolie has visited New York any time in the past several months. The actress spent the summer in London shooting Maleficent 2, and she’s now back home in Los Angeles working on the movie Come Away.

Additionally, it was reported earlier this year that Jolie “has no interest in dating” and is only focused on her children. The actress and her estranged husband are currently going through child custody evaluations to determine a custody arrangement. It’s illogical to believe she’s complicating matters by dating Pitt’s ex-wife’s estranged husband. Gossip Cop can confirm the story is a complete fabrication.

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Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have continued to be at the center of bogus tabloid stories since their 2015 divorce. Gossip Cop frequently debunks phony reports about the exes. Here are five wrong rumors.

In August, Gossip Cop busted Celebrity Insider for falsely claiming that Lambert sent Shelton a congratulatory note for his so-called “secret wedding” to Gwen Stefani. The main problem with the premise? The country star and his girlfriend aren’t married. It goes without saying, but Lambert didn’t congratulate her ex-husband on his nonexistent wedding. In fact, Shelton recently said he thinks about marrying Stefani, but doesn’t see it happening “any time soon.”

Gossip Cop called out In Touch in March for alleging that Shelton and Lambert were “secretly texting” amid their respective breakups with Stefani and Anderson East. Of course, the story was baseless. Although Lambert and East did in fact split earlier this year, Shelton and his girlfriend are still very much together. The unreliable magazine, however, said the ex-spouses might reunite romantically in the wake of their so-called “splits.” As time has proven, the country star’s relationship with Stefani is going strong.

Gossip Cop busted Life & Style in February for wrongly reporting that Lambert was upset about Shelton opening a restaurant near her home in Nashville. The outlet contended that the singer believed her ex-husband was being “petty” by launching a business where she lives. The magazine didn’t mention that Shelton moved to Nashville when he was 17 and has had a presence in the area for a long time. Nashville is also a hotspot for restaurants owned by country musicians. Shelton’s decision to open a business there had noting to do with his ex-wife, who wasn’t upset by the situation.

Last year, Gossip Cop busted Life & Style for making up a story about Lambert “coming between” Shelton and Stefani’s relationship. The tabloid alleged that the country star and singer called off their wedding plans because “he still struggles with the heartbreak of his split from Miranda.” In reality, Shelton credited Stefani with helping him get over his divorce. But as noted above, the couple never had plans to walk down the aisle, so the entire article was based on a false premise. Additionally, reps for both music stars assured us the story was fabricated.

And finally, Gossip Cop debunked an In Touch story last year claiming Shelton and Lambert were in a “race” to get married to their significant others. Lambert split from East a few months later, so she was clearly never rushing to marry him. Shelton and Stefani are still happily together, but they haven’t sprinted down the aisle either. The phony story was designed to arbitrarily pit the ex-spouses against each other.

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Roseanne is not being begged by ABC to return to “The Conners,” despite a new report. Gossip Cop can exclusively correct this claim. We’re told in no uncertain terms the fired comedienne has not been contacted at all by the network.

According to the Globe, even though she’s “bitter after getting fired from her own sitcom,” Roseanne is getting the “last laugh as desperate ABC brass are secretly begging her to come back and save their replacement show.” In a piece titled, “Roseanne’s Revenge,” the supermarket tabloid contends the network is “ready to pay the star major bucks to save [the] new show.” To make it seem plausible and legitimate, the publication quotes what it calls an “insider” as saying, “Execs are desperate to see Roseanne return because they know the show is doomed without her.”

The outlet’s supposed source further maintains some ABC people “believe they acted rashly, and now they want to see Roseanne come back in the worst way.” The network is even willing to “pay her a boatload of money” to returns, adds the unnamed and untraceable tipster. The tabloid says even though the ratings have been fairly good without Roseanne, “Bigwigs are convinced the new sitcom will bomb unless she comes back.”

As widely reported, “Roseanne” was canceled after the star’s racist tweet about former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett. The comedienne has since apologized for her comment, which she said was a joke gone bad. The magazine claims the producers of “The Conners” want to fix the show, and are doing that by “arranging Roseanne’s return” to the series.

So, how will ABC pave the way for Roseanne’s character to come back after she died of a drug overdose on the premiere of “The Conners”? The outlet says it will all be explained away as a “dream,” much like how that plot twist from the show “Dallas” in 1986 allowed Patrick Duffy’s dead character to return to the nighttime soap. “The network is ready to go to almost any lengths to bring Roseanne back, and they’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen,” asserts the supposed “insider,” who notes how now “Roseanne’s gloating with sweet revenge.”

Apparently, Roseanne’s return is such a secret not even she knows about it. Despite the supermarket tabloid’s contention she’s “gloating with revenge,” Gossip Cop is exclusively told no one from ABC has approached her about coming back. A rep for the comedic actress, speaking on her behalf, assures us on the record the magazine’s story is “not true,” and that there’s been “no contact” between ABC and Roseanne. It seems the network is behind the program because it recently ordered an additional episode of “The Conners.”

Interestingly, there’s no mention in the Globe story about an article three months ago from its sister publication, the National Enquirer, which swore up and down Roseanne was returning to TV with a sitcom that would compete against “The Conners.” In that tall tale, it was absurdly alleged she was going to earn at least $ 37 million for the series, which would’ve been a solid $ 34.75 million more than she was set to make for the “Roseanne” revival. Just like that report, the latest one is pure fiction.

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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie never had a “secret reunion” in London to try and repair their marriage, despite a report from a year ago claiming the estranged spouses were planning to do so. Gossip Cop debunked the bogus story when it first emerged. Time has proven it untrue.

On October 30, 2017, Gossip Cop busted RadarOnline for falsely claiming that Pitt and Jolie would attempt to “rekindle their romance” during a reunion with their kids in London sometime in 2018. The blog maintained that both stars would be shooting “blockbuster sequels” in the European city, with Jolie shooting Maleficent 2 and Pitt filming World War Z 2. “The upside of all of this is that the family is going to have one big chance to be together for an extended period of time,” an alleged insider told the blog last year.

Gossip Cop, however, pointed out a full year ago that the sequel to World War Z was still in the early stages of development and likely wouldn’t be going into production in 2018. Time has proven that to be the case. Jolie did in fact shoot Maleficent 2 in London this past summer, but her estranged husband wasn’t nearby working on his own sequel. Instead, Pitt has been in Los Angeles shooting Once Upon A Time In Hollywood for the past several months.

As opposed to rekindling a romance, Pitt and Jolie have spent the majority of 2018 in a nasty custody battle that’s yet to be fully resolved. However, Pitt went to London twice in June to spent time with his children, who spent the summer overseas with their mom as she worked. One of Pitt’s visits was on Father’s Day, and his second trip landed around the end of the month. Neither visit was a “secret” and he certainly didn’t spend his time abroad trying to repair his marriage.

It’s worth noting, RadarOnline has since switched narratives in regards to the dynamic between the estranged spouses. Last week, Gossip Cop busted the blog for falsely claiming that Jolie was destroying all of Pitt’s personal possessions he left in their house. The story made no sense, however, as the actress and her six kids moved into a new home last year. And earlier this year, Gossip Cop called out the blog for falsely claiming that Jolie kept a “dirty diary” on Pitt that she planned to use against him in their custody battle.

To recap, the blog insisted last October that the exes would be reconciling in London in 2018. The site’s recent pieces, however, have been about Jolie trashing Pitt’s belongings and also keeping incriminating journals to use against him. Those narratives aren’t true either, but it goes to show how the blog changes storylines when the old ones don’t pan out.

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Angelina Jolie is not “lonely and longing to reconnect” with Brad Pitt, despite a new report. Gossip Cop can correct this claim. We’re told the actress is not “missing” her estranged husband, with whom she’s locked in a bitter custody battle.

This phony premise is being regurgitated by the ironically named Celebrity Insider, a site that rewrites other (often inaccurate) outlets’ stories. In this particular instance, the repeatedly discredited blog is taking its misinformation from the equally unreliable HollywoodLife, which wrongly asserted recently that “Angie forces herself to resist the urge to call Brad.” The website further quotes the aptly nicknamed HollywoodLies’ supposed source as maintaining, “Angelina still misses the sound of Brad’s voice” because she’s “lonely.”

Not surprisingly, the blog didn’t fact-check HollywoodLies’ article. Even more incredibly, how did that outlet not know that far from “missing” her soon-to-be ex, Jolie and Pitt have been in an ugly divorce and custody battle? Also, as Gossip Cop noted when busting HollywoodLife’s story about Jolie wanting to call Pitt, no real person who’s supposedly close to the actress would first call her “Angie” and then refer to her differently as “Angelina.” And with six kids, it’s hard to imagine that Jolie is “lonely.” Significantly, an impeccable source within Jolie’s camp has told Gossip Cop on several occasions that the actress’s focus is on her kids and career, and she’s looking to move on from Pitt.

As mentioned above, Celebrity Insider has a track record of being wrong about Pitt and Jolie, especially since it just rewrites untrustworthy outlets’ tall tales. In the past, Gossip Cop busted that blog when it falsely contended Pitt was relying on Jennifer Aniston to help him “navigate” his divorce from Jolie. In reality, Aniston and Pitt haven’t seen each other in a long time, and their reps assured Gossip Cop the premise was “made-up” and “false.”

It’s also the same website that wrongly claimed Pitt was “dumped” by Neri Oxman because his custody battle with Jolie was dragging on. Of course, as Gossip Cop rightly reported from the start, Pitt and the MIT professor were never romantically involved. It’s interesting that the outlet is now alleging the actress is “lonely” and “missing” Pitt, considering it spent a good part of 2017 inaccurately asserting Jolie was dating and adopting a baby with a (nonexistent) “British boyfriend.” Much like the aforementioned tales, the latest article about Jolie “missing” Pitt and “longing to reconnect” with him is also 100 percent untrue.

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Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have been at the center of many false tabloids stories amid the release of a A Star Is Born. Gossip Cop has debunked many bogus claim about the co-stars. Here are five wrong rumors.

Earlier this week, Gossip Cop busted Star for falsely claiming that Cooper didn’t invite girlfriend Irina Shayk to some premieres of his new movie because he wanted to walk the red carpet with Gaga instead. In reality, Cooper and Shayk have a very private relationship and choose to keep it out of the spotlight. The actor even explained on “The Howard Stern Show” that he skips red carpet appearances with his girlfriend to avoid media scrutiny. Meanwhile, Shayk attended the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival to support her boyfriend, but the two chose to walk the red carpet separately.

Gossip Cop also corrected Woman’s Day Australia earlier this week after the magazine wrongly reported that Cooper and Gaga’s friendship was upsetting his girlfriend. The outlet contended that the supermodel was “rattled” by her boyfriend’s bond with his co-star and her jealousy was resulting in major fights. The outlet failed to mention that Gaga is engaged to talent agent Christian Carino, so it’s not as if Cooper is getting close to a single woman. Regardless, around the same time the article was published, photos emerged of Cooper and Shayk looking “completely smitten” while strolling through New York City with their young daughter.

Earlier this month, Gossip Cop shot down a similar In Touch story alleging that Cooper and Shayk were headed for a split over his friendship with Gaga. The unreliable outlet said the supermodel wasn’t happy that her boyfriend kept “raving” about his co-star, and it was “just a matter of time before Bradley and Irina call it quits.” But shortly before the magazine wrote is bogus story, Cooper and Shayk were photographed laughing while strolling down the street in New York City with their baby girl. The supermodel even had her arm wrapped around her boyfriend in some of the images. There are clearly no issues between the happy couple.

Last month, Gossip Cop busted In Touch for making up a story about Jennifer Lawrence being furious with Cooper for casting Gaga in A Star Is Born instead of her. The story was baseless. For starters, Lawrence praised the movie during an interview on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast earlier this year and called Cooper “an amazing director.” Also, Lawrence revealed on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2014 that she has a terrible singing voice, so the idea that she believed she’d be right for the role doesn’t make sense. The actress’s rep also went on to the record to dismiss the report.

And finally, Gossip Cop called out Life & Style in January for claiming that Cooper was worried about A Star Is Born bombing at the box office. The tabloid alleged that the actor, who also co-wrote and directed the film, felt it needed reshoots and that Gaga’s performance was weak. In reality, the release date of A Star Is Born was pushed back from May to October because Warner Bros. was impressed with the film and wanted it to debut during awards season. Meanwhile, Cooper raved about Gaga while he was still editing the movie last year.

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Richard Madden is not in talks to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, despite inaccurate reports making the rounds. Gossip Cop can exclusively debunk the claim. We’ve learned it’s false.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail wrongly reported that producers of the 007 franchise are “on the brink of approaching” Madden to take over the iconic spy series. A supposed source told the outlet that Barbara Broccoli, the longtime executive producer of the Bond films, was impressed by the “Game of Thrones” star after watching his new BBC show “Bodyguard.” “It’s seriously looking like [Madden] is going to get the job,” says the publication’s alleged insider. “Not only is he on top of Barbara’s list, but she is preparing to offer the role.”

This week, the National Enquirer picked up the story and added an additional angle about Madden supposedly stealing the role from Idris Elba. However, Elba said in August that he won’t be the next Bond, so that aspect of the story is clearly fabricated. Still, a questionable tipster tells the magazine, “Everybody thought Idris had a lock on the part, but he’s already 46 – and Richard is just 32 and red hot because of ‘Thrones.’”

In an effort to back up its premise, the Enquirer notes that photographer Andy Gotts did a photoshoot with Madden earlier this month. In the past, Gotts has also shot portraits of members of the Bond cast, including Craig. There’s no connection here. The celebrity photographer has worked with dozens of stars over the years, and Madden was being shot as part of promotion for his series “Bodyguard.”

These casting rumors are also coming from anonymous “sources,” but Gossip Cop checked in with Madden’s rep, who has no knowledge of the actor being approached by Bond producers. It’s safe to say that a spokesperson qualified to speak on the actor’s behalf knows more about his career than untraceable “insiders.” Also, not a single Hollywood trade publication, which typically break major casting news, has reported that Madden is in the running.

Meanwhile, the story doesn’t make much sense logically. Craig’s next installment of the Bond franchise was recently delayed until February 2020 after director Danny Boyle left the project due to creative differences. Cary Fukunaga has since been hired to helm the 25th installment in the series, but filming won’t begin until next March. It doesn’t make sense that producers would be looking for Craig’s replacement well before his next Bond movie stars shooting. Broccoli and the other producers are focused on the upcoming sequel for now.

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One of this week’s tabloids claim Bradley Cooper didn’t invite Irina Shayk to some premieres of A Star Is Born because he wanted to walk the red carpet with Lady Gaga instead. The premise is completely untrue. Gossip Cop can debunk it.

According to Star, Cooper and his girlfriend have an “increasingly rocky relationship” and it’s all because of the actor’s co-star. “Ever since Bradley and Gaga became friends working on A Star Is Born, Irina has been jealous of their connection,” an alleged insider tells the magazine. “She sees how enamored Bradley is of Gaga’s talent, and it makes her feel insecure about her own modeling career.”

The outlet’s questionable source goes on to say that Cooper and Shayk have “been fighting a lot” and the actor “didn’t invite her to some premieres because he wanted to walk the carpet with Gaga.” The seemingly phony tipster adds, “Irina doesn’t’ trust him, and Bradley’s never seen this side of her. They want to make it work, but things aren’t looking good.”

The gossip media has been pushing variations of this phony narrative for weeks. Earlier this month, Gossip Cop called out In Touch for falsely claiming that Cooper and Shayk were headed for a split over his friendship with Gaga. Shortly after that, we debunked a Life & Style story about Cooper staying at Gerard Butler’s apartment in New York City following fights with his girlfriend.

These various storylines have all been based on claims from anonymous and untraceable “sources,” but Cooper’s own rep has told Gossip Cop on the record that there’s no truth to the reports. The actor and supermodel aren’t having a rift over his co-star, despite all of the tabloids trying to create nonexistent drama.

In reality, Cooper and Shayk choose to keep their relationship private and out of the spotlight. In fact, the actor explained on “The Howard Stern Show” a few years ago that he doesn’t take his girlfriend to premieres because they want to avoid media scrutiny. The actor sarcastically said, “It’s so great to take someone you’re with to a place where a hundred people are going to photograph you every step you make and ask you tons of questions, and then rip it apart the next day.” Shayk did in fact attend the premiere of A Star Is Born at the Venice Film Festival in August, but she and Cooper chose to walk the red carpet separately.

Meanwhile, there’s plenty of proof that the couple’s romance is going strong. Less than a week ago, an outlet published photos of Cooper and Shayk taking a stroll with their daughter in NYC, and noted that the pair looked “completely smitten” with each other. And earlier this week, Shayk told “Extra” that she’s proud of Cooper and the massive success of A Star Is Born. This latest article in the ongoing saga surrounding Cooper, his girlfriend and his co-star is more nonsense.

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Sandra Bullock’s personal and professional life is often the subject of phony tabloid stories. Gossip Cop frequently debunks fake news about the actress. Here are five recent wrong rumors.

Gossip Cop busted Life & Style in July for falsely claiming that Bullock kept turning down marriage proposals from her boyfriend Bryan Randall because she feared being “dumped at the altar.” The outlet said the actress had major trust issues and believed her boyfriend might cheat on her if they got married. Not only did the actress’s rep dismiss the story as nonsense, but Bullock had already said in a 2015 People magazine interview that she doesn’t plan on getting married again. She made the comment before meeting Randall, who presumably knows her stance on the subject.

In May, Gossip Cop busted Star for making up a story about Bullock trying to prevent the cast of Ocean’s 8 from feuding with each other. The magazine said the stars of the film were battling over coordinating their schedules to promote it. However, the cast of Ocean’s 8 cast attended a press conference for the movie in New York City shortly before the story was published. The Ocean’s 8 cast hit the red carpet at the movie’s NYC premiere shortly later. The women also did dozens of talk show and print interviews as a group, and spoke very fondly of each other.

Gossip Cop called out Life & Style in April for wrongly reporting that Bullock was pregnant with a “miracle baby” at the age of 53. The outlet maintained that the actress, who’s the mother of two adopted kids, was expecting her first biological child with her boyfriend. When the story first emerged, a rep qualified to speak on Bullock’s behalf assured us she wasn’t expecting. As time has shown, she still isn’t.

In March, Gossip Cop debunked an OK! article claiming that Bullock and Randall were “secretly married.” However, the outlet provided zero details about the actress’s supposed wedding. The publication didn’t offer a single piece of information about the ceremony, including when or where it took place. Regardless, the actress’s spokesperson told us on the record that she hadn’t secretly tied the knot, and People magazine also confirmed that Bullock and Randall didn’t get married.

And finally, Gossip Cop busted Life & Style in March for alleging that Bullock underwent plastic surgery prior to the Oscars. The publication contended that the actress got cheek injections to look more youthful. Bullock’s spokesperson called the story an “unequivocal and bold lie,” adding, “She absolutely does not have nor has she ever had any sort of cheek fillers or implants.” Meanwhile, Bullock actually joked about her age while presenting at the Oscars, asking if producers would dim the lighting “so I can go back to my 40s.”

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Scarlett Johansson and Bobby Flay never dated, despite a report from exactly one year ago today that claimed they were “more than friends.” At the time, Gossip Cop busted the bogus premise, and now 365 days later it’s even more clear the story was 100 percent wrong. Since that inaccurate article, Johansson has become serious with Colin Jost, who she was already seeing back then.

On October 25, 2017, OK! published a piece about the chef and the actress that quickly went up in flames. According to the tabloid’s report, Flay and Johansson had recently been spotted on a “romantic night out” in New York. The magazine even noted she “has a thing for chefs,” and mentioned how Gordon Ramsay and the late Anthony Bourdain were among her “crushes.” The only other supposed bit of evidence the outlet offered was that Johansson likes “confident” men and “Bobby fits the bill.”

As we stated 12 months ago, just because the Avengers star has “a thing for chefs,” it didn’t mean she was dating Flay. She’s a foodie who appreciates fine food and its preparation. And it’s not that unique to be attracted to someone who’s “confident,” of which Jost also “fits the bill.”

More significantly, as Gossip Cop reported back then, Flay and Johansson’s night out was not a “dinner date,” as alleged by the publication. It was simply two friends grabbing a meal and catching up. Had the tabloid done a smidgeon of digging it would have found out the two have been pals for many years. While fact-checking the story, Gossip Cop learned from Johansson’s rep that the actress and Flay are actually neighbors in the Hamptons.

Now a full year has gone by and it’s obvious their time together was most assuredly not a “date,” and that Johansson was and still is dating Jost. What’s particularly bizarre is that a few days before OK! published its erroneous story, its sister magazine, the National Enquirer, wrongly maintained in another article Johansson and Jost were “rushing to the altar.” Back then, however, the actress and the “Saturday Night Live” head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor were in the early stages of seeing each other. Still, it was odd the two publications, which sometimes share content, ran contradictory stories — and both were untrue.

Gossip Cop sometimes returns to articles from a year earlier to show readers that falsehoods rarely, if ever, age well. Generally, fabricated tabloid stories fall apart over time. It’s unclear if the magazine relied on an untrustworthy source for its inaccurate tale or just manufactured it based on Johansson and Flay having been seen together in New York. Regardless, the “dinner date” report was nothing more than bad dish.